Spellheart 9: Chapter 9 (Patreon)

I arrived on the Fimblesea Continent in a flash of light, with Sam and Dean at my side. Dean was worried there might be danger, so it made sense for the strongest fighters to go first and clear the way for everyone to follow.

"I told you we wouldn't encounter any danger." Sam rolled his eyes. He'd predicted our arrival would be safe with his fate magic, and he was proven right.

We stood in an open field. Whatever civilization of elves lived here was long gone. We were surrounded by mountains that stretched into the distance as far as the eye could see. The air felt thin and cold; like being underwater without breathing through your gills. There wasn’t much vegetation around us either, but what little remained looked healthy enough.

The sky above had been empty when we arrived, now it seemed to have filled up with clouds. They swirled around us in circles, forming patterns in the skies.
"Wasn't there supposed to be a city near here?" I asked Dean. This was his teleportation array.

He nodded. "There's nothing out there anymore. My poor elven tacos are lost to the rivers of time."

A single tear dripped down the side of Dean's face.

"What direction was it in?" I asked.

"The ruins should be that way." Dean pointed east.

"Well, seeing as how we're going to need to scout the area, I call dibs on checking out the ancient abandoned ruins!" I started flying toward them before either Sam or Dean could protest. They could scout the boring mountains and plains. I wanted to spend this time looking for something a little more interesting.

My keen senses immediately picked up traces of life within the old structures. A few dozen people must have once inhabited these buildings, but they weren’t anywhere nearby. There was just the faintest trace of vitality there, which suggested they either weren't too strong or they'd been gone for a long time.

This was just a building on the outskirts though, and I could see the collections of old rubble and vine-covered structures grew denser the further I went. Most of the buildings here had been made out of some sort of zeal-enhanced wood, similar to what the elves of the Whitewood Clan produced.

It could last a long time, but was still more easily reclaimed by nature than stone. If I was going to find any buildings intact enough to keep using, they'd be deeper in the city toward what must have formerly been inhabited by the city's residents with the strongest cultivation.

After traveling several kilometers, I landed next to one building that still bore signs of recent habitation. Some furniture had been left behind, along with some food supplies. If anyone was living in this place, they hadn’t come back yet.

I flew over the rooftops, searching for anything else worth investigating. Just then, I spotted a pair of figures coming down the street.
They didn’t seem hostile, and they didn't even have auras, which meant they couldn't be true mages or above. They were probably just normal elves looking for treasure in this forgotten city. I knew my own children would be here doing the same soon enough.

I hid myself among some vines growing across the roof line, waiting until they passed me by below. Then, I jumped off the edge, landing silently beside them.

My fall was so quiet neither of them noticed me. I wasn't sure if it was my skill or their poor survival instincts, but the pair of elf women had their eyes fixed on the ruins before them, studying the text carved into the wall of a pillar.

“What do you think? Is there anything useful in there?" One of them said. She wore simple robes and her hair was pulled back into a ponytail to reveal her pointed elvish ears. They came to sharper points than I was used to for elves from the Groveguard Continent, and her skin had a deeper, almost purple hue to it that made her look more exotic than the elves I was used to seeing. Her eyes sparkled with curiosity as she and her companion stared at the pillar.

"Yes! I can feel a magical energy flowing through it," the other woman replied excitedly. "But I'm not quite sure where exactly it comes from."

"You don't know?" The first girl sounded disappointed.

"No, I only sensed it faintly earlier today. But since then..."

She trailed off as she focused intently on the column.

“Can you tell if it has any connection to the power source in the ruins?"

The two tried to figure out how the pillar worked with furrowed brows and desperation on their faces. Really, it was a cute look on them. Of course, I could read

Sixth Era Golden Age script, so figuring out what the pillar did was no issue for me.

"It's a zeal condensation talisman. The power source is probably underground, but it's broken now. The text is a warning not to touch it or you'll get zapped by a blast of random aspect zeal," I explained as I leaned in behind them.

Both elves screamed in shock and terror at the strange in their midst.

”Who are you?! What are you?!" the first one shrieked.

"Sorry about that," I apologized. "I couldn't help myself."

The two of them turned to bolt in either directions, but I grabbed them by the arm and held them in place. Checking their cultivation level once again, I realized I had a pair of mage acolytes on my hands. That was just barely strong enough to leave the tribes they grew up in, but not strong enough to fight the real monsters that lurked in the wilder places of the world.

"Please let us go," the second one begged.

"Of course, I won't hurt you." I released both girls' arms.

The first girl ran away while the second continued staring at me with wide eyes.

"I have a few questions about the area. I hope you don't mind answering them," I said.

"Oh... well, um, okay." The young elf nodded nervously.

“What's your name?"

"Mia." Her voice was quiet and small.

"Nice to meet you, Mia. Where did you grow up?"

"In the forests north of here, close to the Great Forest."

"Did your people visit this city often?" I wanted to know how many explorers I could expect.

"Not really. We rarely farther south than the forest," Mia replied. She tried to pull her arm free of my grip, but her strength was pitiful compared to mine.

"Do you remember when this city was built?"

"Nope." She didn't dare to meet my eyes. She sagged in my grip, realizing her struggle was hopeless.

"How about your home in the northern forests? Would you call it a city? Is it larger than this place?" I asked.

"Not like this one. Our tribe has about three hundred elves in total. I can't believe anyone could ever build a place like this." Mia looked around herself in amazement, forgetting her terror of me for a moment. But then her eyes returned to my hand around her wrist.

"Are there any other cities around here?" I wondered.

"I've heard of some further west, but I've never been there."

Mia was a goldmine of information about the region, even if she didn't know much, she knew far more than me. She'd make an invaluable guide for my children to help keep them out of trouble. Realizing how much use she'd be, I realized I needed to grab her friend too. There was no sense in letting a resource go to waste.

"Wait a moment for me please, Mia. I'm going to grab your friend before she hurts herself. I just heard her trip three blocks down."

To Mia's vision, I must have vanished from sight in an instant. When I appeared again a moment later. I was holding her friend, who was still in the middle of screaming.

I set her down on the ground, and she fell on her face. A moment later she scrambled to her knees and then back to her feet, and then she started running again.

I shared a look with Mia. "You think she'd realize running away is pointless."

Mia looked at me nervously. "You won't hurt her, will you?"

I shook my head. "Just give her a minute so she can tire herself out. I'll pick her up again before she gets too far away."

Mia bit her lip, worry furrowing her brow. "You... sorry if this is rude... but what are you? You're not an elf."

"You're right, I'm not an elf. I'm a human," I explained.

"A... who-man?"

"A human," I carefully sounded out the word for her.

"What an odd name for a race. Wait, you're not a type of monster, are you?" Mia started making herself nervous again.

I chuckled. "Monsters would probably call me a monster. I've killed a lot of creatures. Including a lot of elves."

The worry on Mia's face reached a new level.

"But don't worry. I've probably made nearly as many elves as I've killed. And mine are better. So all in all, I think I'm a net benefit to elven society."

Mia blushed. "B-by made, you don't mean..."

I turned my head to the distance, where Mia's friend was starting to get away again.

"One moment. I don't want her to get out of sight."

I vanished, once again reappearing with Mia's companion in my arms.

I set her down on the ground, and she got right up and looked like she was about to run again. She probably would have if Mia hadn't grabbed her and pulled her back.

"I swear, I'll give you anything! My bag of holding is yours! Let me go! Take Mia instead, I bet she'd make an excellent slave, way better than me! She's a bottom!" Mia's companion pleaded in desperation as she tried to tear herself free.

"Ema, stop! You can't run from him! He's some sort of wizard!" Mia leaned in, pulling her friend close. She whispered in her friend's ear, which was more proof that she wasn't really familiar with the higher cultivation ranks. Whispering would do no good when someone with my hearing was standing nearby. "And... he's really hot."

Ema immediately stopped her struggles and opened her eyes, wiping away the tears that had been rolling down her face a moment before. She looked me over, and her desperate expression vanished to be replaced by swagger and false bravado.

"Did I say take Mia?" Ema said, approaching me with a cautious swagger. "Ha, that was me just joking around. You know, I think you should come with me back to our tribe. I'm sure--"

Mia elbowed her friend in the ribs. "What did you not understand about me saying 'he's a wizard?'"

"Right... what's a wizard again?"

I let the two of them bicker. I figured now wasn't a good time to tell them that I was actually far more powerful than a wizard. Instead, I asked them about the region.

All in all, the area around the city was sparsely populated. Only one villages existed within five days travel of the ruins. As such, they were fairly isolated, which meant there weren't many other people to worry about. Their village had a single true mage matriarch, and she was the most powerful elf in the region.

I would have to borrow her while my children explored the ruins and secured the region in preparation for the dragon attack, since a local true mage would probably know even more than the pair with me now. Mage acolyte guides might be enough to keep Argona out of trouble, but I was certain Comela and Dulik would be looking for more excitement than the likes of Mia and Ema could handle.

"I'll be sending some people to the city soon. Some of them are daughters of mine, so please give them a tour," I said, tossing a zeal crystal to Mia and Ema each. I had things far more valuable than those for mage acolytes, but I was worried they wouldn't be able to identify Sava's pills at a glance. These zeal crystals would be immediately valuable to any mage acolyte who could feel the power in them.

"This... it's a zeal cryastal!" Mia exclaimed with shock.

"We're rich!" Ema yelled, hugging her friend.

"And you'll be richer still if you stay here and help me out later. Come with me and there'll be ten more of those for each of you, along with a few things you might find even more valuable."

The elves needed no further encouragement. Soon, the two of them were riding on either side of me as I flew us back to the teleportation array, where the teams from Deania were just starting to set up camp.

***

When I returned to camp, I sensed several powerful auras I didn't recognize, and some that I did.

Melise's master was there, as was Tivana's mother. Both of them were powerful demigods and could no doubt hold their own in a fight against the dragons. There was a purple-haired elf hanging around near Dean who I thought was vaguely familiar as well. I had a feeling she might have been one of the two that hung around him back on Earth.

"Theo!" Dean waved me over. "Let me introduce you to a few friends. Everyone, this is Theo, the Patriarch of that new Hearthwood Clan you might have heard about."

"Nice to meet you all!" I said, smiling as I bowed.

"Oh, polite too! It's rare to see a young man without an ego that grew as fast as his cultivation!" A silver-haired elven woman laughed. "If I were two thousand years younger, I'd snatch you up for my harem!"

Dean laughed. "You'd have to fight his harem over him! Theo here has quite a few eyes on him already!"

"Including my daughter!" Tivana's mother stepped in front of me protectively.

"Oh, you spoilsports..." the silver-haired demigod shrugged her shoulders. Soon, she changed the subject. "Say, I see you three are here, but none of the human men from the Cult of the Unblinking Eye bothered to show up. Such a shame. They're usually quicker to flirt."

"The Cult of the Unblinking Eye probably won't be showing up," Sam replied. "In fact, we have reason to believe they are the ones that lured the dragons here. The dragons were originally destined to land on the Groveguard Continent."

"I take it you did something?" The silver-haired demigod wrinkled her brow. "I was worried we'd entered another peculiar orbit, considering how much higher in the sky the sun was than it was supposed to be back home. You caused quite a panic among the heartwielders and mage acolytes."

"Not as much of a panic as they would have felt if these dragons landed in Deania." Sam shrugged. "It's better to have them land here in this mostly empty continent."

"About that," I interrupted with a raised hand. "This continent isn't empty. I ran into two locals while exploring the nearby city. Apparently there's a settlement near here. We need to evacuate them otherwise they'll get caught up in the cross-fire."

"Hmm... I didn't sense any wizards. Losing true mages and below won't matter much in the grand scheme of things. We could just let them live out the rest of their short lives in blissful ignorance." The silver-haired demigod shrugged dismissively.

I gave her a flat disapproving stare. "We will be evacuating them. Your advice is appreciated, but not required."

The silver-haired demigod yawned. "Oh fine. Normally I love a passionate man, but this just seems terribly droll."

Despite her words, she agreed to send some of her disciples out to scour the lands in search of these locals and warn them of the coming danger. Though there were only six demigods, all of them had at least a handful of followers at the sorcerer realm, and dozens at the wizard realm.

Those wizards and sorcerers had followers of their own, which meant there were thousands of true mages available for the task at hand. I didn't even need to send out any of my children to help, which freed them all up to explore and prepare.

***

My children soon secured the city. Any riches or secrets left to claim would be theirs for the taking. I dropped Mia and Ema off so the two of them could help them out. Oddly enough, they seemed even more terrified of Comela than they had been of me. The two of them knew what a true mage was.

I found the highest building, looking into the far distance as I searched for the dragons on the horizon Sam warned about. With ordinary human eyes, I would have no chance at spotting them, but with my enhanced body and vision I could peer all the way into the depths of space beyond the world's atmosphere.

I searched the night sky, scanning the stars for my enemy. At first, I saw nothing out of the ordinary, but then my gaze settled on four red stars streaking across the horizon, like angry flames burning through the darkness. And there was a fifth, larger point of light directly between them. I felt a glimmer of relief -- only five dragons?

But then, more points of light began to appear around the five largest dots. I squinted, focusing my eyes, and realized the terrible truth: it wasn't one large dragon and four smaller ones. It was one dragon the size of a moon, four massive dragons as big as asteroids, and thousands of smaller ones. And there was something even bigger lurking just behind them. The lights of distant stars were disappearing one by one behind it, as if being devoured by a monster.

When I found Sam and Dean, they were both staring up at the sky. "Yep, this looks like a big one," Dean said, his face grim.

"This one's as large as the one that attacked the World of Struggle and Strife. Too bad we don't have an Immortal Ascendant like Grognak to fend those things off. But the Planetary Defense Array should keep the big ones from landing, so we only need to deal with their progeny," Sam added.

"What do you need from me?" I asked.

"Run support and be backup if either of us look like we're going to be overwhelmed. Otherwise, feel free to deal with any of the wizard-level dragons. Just focus on enemies you can take down quickly. Leave anything that's going to put up a real fight to me and Dean," Sam replied.

I nodded, steeling myself for the battle to come. "Alright then. I guess it's time to give your scaly guests a proper welcome." I said, ready to face the dragons with all my might.